City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments, #2)

by Cassandra Clare

Second in Cassandra Clare's internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series about the Shadowhunters.

Discover more secrets about the Shadowhunters as they fight to protect the world from demons in the second book in the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Love and power are the deadliest temptations... Haunted by her past, Clary is dragged deeper into New York City's terrifying underworld of demons and Shadowhunters - but can she control her feelings for a boy who can never be hers? This edition contains a map and a new foreword by Cassandra Clare. Read all the sensational books in The Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, The Bane Chronicles, The Dark Artifices, The Last Hours and The Shadowhunter's Codex.

• ISBN10: 1439163847
• ISBN13: 9781439163849
• Publish Date: 24 March 2009 (first published 1 March 2008)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[jen20]

4.5 ⭐️. What a fun reading experience. Oh Jace, I want to hate him and smack him sometimes but I can’t help loving him instead. Ahh.

[Mad Soul Child]

Немного противоречивые чувства по поводу этой части, но мне так нравиться эта серия, что ставлю пять

[moraa]

3.5 stars

"She was a Shadowhunter, and pain was something you lived with."

There's such a divide between my feelings towards the first and second half of City of Ashes

THE MESS OF A FIRST HALF
The main characters got on my nerves. Clary is a typical Mary-Sue YA protagonist who does lots of stupid things. Jace is an arrogant jerk and his tragic past does not excuse his terrible behaviour. Simon is so whiny and annoying. I just couldn't deal with them. The characters that I do like, Isabelle and Magnus, don't have enough page time or aren't developed enough.

The plot is slow, boring and snooze-worthy. There wasn't any urgency towards the events that were taking place.

WHY THE SECOND HALF IS SO MUCH BETTER
The main characters become more bearable and seem more developed, but they still aren't developed enough. Clary is still doing stupid things, but I'm excited about where her new-found abilities are going to take her. The fact that she can create extremely powerful runes elevates her to badass levels. Jace is still a jerk, but he becomes less walled-off and shows more vulnerability. Simon probably goes through the most in terms of his character arc in City of Ashes and I'm really interested to see what happens to him next. He becomes a vampire and then after drinking Jace's blood, he becomes a vampire who can walk in the sun.

The secondary characters also become more developed. The Inquisitor is quite cruel and patronising and her hate for everything and her I'm-always-right tendencies are unwarranted, but I could still understand where she was coming from. She also redeems herself in the end. Isabelle, my favourite Mortal Instruments Shadowhunter, shows just how awesome she is and her loyalty is unshakable.

The plot starts going somewhere and everything comes together and makes sense. Everything becomes so intense and towards the end of City of Ashes ,the battle on the ship, I was worried about the characters and anxious about what would happen to them (and I've read City of Ashes before, which means that I knew what was going to happen, so I had no reason to feel that way).

THE CHARACTERS THAT MAKE BOTH HALVES AWESOME
1) Maryse Lightwood. She's such a strong and fierce woman. I really like the fact that she might not be a warm person, but she's still an awesome mom.
2) Luke. He's an amazing father figure and a wonderful character. Also, the fact that he's been in love with Jocelyn for such a long time, but never told her or pushed her into a relationship... WHAT A GUY!
3) Maia. She's gone through so much and she's so tough.
3) Magnus Bane. He's a powerful warlock. He's sassy. He likes glitter.

THE ROMANCE STUFF THAT RUINED EVERYTHING
The love triangle which I honestly don't care for.

The whole forbidden love going on with Jace and Clary... I don't get it and I don't think I want to get it. Jace and Clary admit that they have feelings for each other and Jace even wants to have a secret incestuous relationship with his sister. SPOILER FOR CITY OF GLASS-->I know that Jace and Clary aren't really siblings, but they don't know that.

TL;DR
The first half of City of Ashes is really boring and the characters grated on my nerves, but the plot picks up in the second half and the characters grew on me. Some characters are awesome in both halves of City of Ashes. However, I am not a fan of the forbidden love angle and the love triangle.

[catiebug]

I am loving this series so much. Why didn't I read it sooner?!

[neddieb]

This series so far is less than ok. I really don't know why everyone loves this series, because I can't seem to find that love. Am I missing something? I literally skimmed through this book. It's boring. Yes there are some interesting and good parts, but some of it is, blah, blah, blah, and uneventful. As a matter of fact the characters are too childish. I know it's a YA book, but there are many other YA books that have characters that are teenagers and act a little more mature especially when they are fighting demons and trying to save the world.

The incest thing is so NOT-angelic and simply just gross. Seriously, this series could have been done without the incestious storyline. But, I didnt write the book, but yet I do have a right to my opinion.

Clary is annoying! She reminds me of "Belle". Basically, I reaaly can't feel anything from most of the characters in this book. The only interesting characters I really like are Magnus and the Seelie Queen. They are the most noteworthy ones and bad ass.

Nevertheless, I am going to finish the series. Might as well skim skim skim through the series.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

I'm giving this up three stars because I didn't exactly abhor reading it, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed it either. I can't seem to form an attachment to any of the characters, not even Clary, whom I'm assuming is supposed to be the main character. At times, I can't stand Jace and I don't think I could ever ship him and Clary, with or without the twist that everyone sees coming. Something must be wrong with me, because Valentine is the most interesting character thus far. I'm sincerely hoping that this series gets better as it goes on (it has to, right?). *Crosses fingers* The popularity of this series is basically the only thing encouraging me to continue, because the story just does not. Needless to say, I'm not itching to pick up the next installment, even if I already own it. :/

[pamela]

I honestly didn't expect to enjoy these books quite as much as I am. Anything with a quote by Stephanie Meyer on the cover is an automatic turn off for me (hence why it's taken me so long to get round to reading them). Imagine my surprise then, when the first two books I've read so far turned out to be funny and clever and just so, so enjoyable! They're not high literature, and there are moments when they are so obviously Harry Potter fan fiction, but it didn't change the fact that reading them has been fun. The story world is well realised and consistent, and everything works within the context of the novels' universe. Just all round a really enjoyable reading experience. And that's what reading should be isn't it? Fun.

[boghunden]

The bigger they come, the harder they fall.

[chrssym]

Good, fun, quick read!